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Autumn Bucket List: Fall Colors

Capturing the fall colors while the leaves were still on the trees was part of my autumn bucket list this year. Although October was jam packed with trips and work, I headed out one afternoon for a couple of hours to walk around campus with my camera.

I met an interesting person within the first five minutes of my fall color photo shoot. He was carrying a DSLR, and when he stopped to ask me about my camera, I figured he was just interested. My camera was hanging around my neck, and he grabbed it to play around the settings, then asked me why I hadn’t put the lens cap on a certain way and why I was using the lens I was using. The conversation ended by him saying condescendingly to me, “Great job, pat on the back.” Now, by no means am I anything but an amateur beginning photographer. But I enjoy taking pictures, and I bought a fancy new camera so I could learn how to use it. I like it when people show me how to use the camera correctly, but I hate it when people talk to me condescendingly. I am not a child, and I don’t care for another adult to patronize me, especially an adult with whom I didn’t really want to have a conversation in the first place. I also don’t like when people grab things that are attached to me without asking first. It feels invasive and intrusive. Unfortunately, this incident put me in a somewhat foul mood for the afternoon, but it was impossible to keep my mood from lifting after seeing the beautiful trees around campus.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the afternoon. Hope you enjoy this taste of autumn in Chicago!

Red leaves outside my building

Vines crawling up the windows

Colorful trees on campus

Fallen leaves

Colors along the shore of Lake Michigan

Downtown Chicago

Path on campus

Red leaves

Have you ever had a weird experience with someone who wanted to talk to you to tell you that you’re doing everything wrong?